Jointed limb and method for manufacturing the same



E. H. BAXTER 3,394,490

JOINTED LIMB AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME July 30, 1968 Filed March 5, 1966 man., im

ATTORNEYS United. States Patent O 3,394,490 JOINTED 'LIMB AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME Ellsworth H. Baxter, Erie, Pa., assignor to Louis Marx & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 531,571 12 Claims. (Cl. 46-163) The present invention relates to jointed limbs.

In particular, the invention relates to jointed limbs which are adaptedto form part of a gure which simulates a living being. Thus, the jointed limb of the invention may be an arm-simulating or leg-simulating structure for a gure which simulates a living being such as an animal or human being.

It is apparent, therefore, that the invention is applicable to dolls, mannequins, and similar articles such as robots and toys, for example.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a jointed limb of the above type which is incapable of assuming an unnatural condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a jointed limb which will reliably remain in whatever condition it is displaced to by the operator.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a jointed limb with a simple rugged structure which has components which will not easily break and which at the same time can easily be manipulated by the operator to assume any desired natural condition. v Also, the objects of the invention include the provision of a method of manufacturing the jointed limb in such a way that the components thereof are readily assembled and retained in their assembled condition.

Primarily, the jointed limb of the invention includes an outer elongated hollow member which is bendable and which has an intermediate joint-simulating portion and a pair of limb portions extending in opposite directions from the intermediate portion. A pair of substantially rigid elongated inserts are respectively situated in and extend along the limb portions, and these inserts have ends situated adjacent to each other at the region of the intermediate portion of the elongated member. A connecting means pivotally` interconnects these ends of the inserts sov that they are turnable one with respect to the other, and this connecting means limits the movement of the inserts, and the limb portions therewith, exclusively to natural movements. According to one of the more important features of the invention, an elongated, substantially non-elastic, deformable means extends along the inserts in the interior of the elongated member and engages the inserts at portions thereof which are spaced from their ends which are interconnected by the connecting means, the outer elongated member when bent at its intermediate portion turning the inserts with respect to each other and also deforming the deformable means which will remain in its deformed condition to retain the jointed limb in the condition to which it is bent.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form part of the application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a jointed limb of the invention showing in dot-dash lines a position to which the jointed limb may be displaced;

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration on an enlarged scale, as compared to FIG. l, of one embodiment of a structure which is situated in the interior of the member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section showing the structure of FIG. 2 within the member of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 being taken along line 3-3 of FIG. l in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of another embodi- 3,394,490 Patented July 30, 1968 ment of a structure which can be situated in the interior of the member of FIG. l; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view showing part of the structure of FIG. 4 situated in the interior of a member such as that of FIG. l.

Referring no'w to FIG. 1, there is shown therein a jointed limb 10 which in the illustrated example simulates the leg of a human being. This jointed limb may form part of a doll, for example. For this purpose the jointed limb 10 includes at its upper end portion a conventional connecting structure 12 by which` it is connected in a known way to the pelvic region of the figure.

The limb 10 includes an elongated hollow member 14 made of a soft elastic plastic material so that it has a feel similar to that of the esh of a human being. This elongated hollow member 14 has an opening at its upper end, and this opening is not visible in FIG. l since it is situated behind the connecting structure 12. Through this opening access may be had to the elongated hollow interior of the limb 14. This limb 14 is hollow down to the region of the ankle 16. The foot 18 may be solid.

The elongated hollow limb 14 is thus easily bendable and since it is elastic it has an inherent resiliency which tends to return the limb 14 to the position thereof shown in solids lines in FIG. 1. Intermediate its ends the limb 14 has an intermediate joint-simulating portion 20 which, in the illustrated example, simulates a knee of the leg. The limb 14 thus has an upper limb portion 22 extending in one direction from the intermediate portion 20 and a lower limb portion 24 extending in the other direction from the intermediate portion 20. During use of the structure the operator can bend the limb 14 at its intermediate portion 20 so as to displace the limb portions 22 and 24 one with respect to the other. In the example shown in FIG. 1 the lower limb portion 24 is shown displaced to the dot-dash line position with respect to the other limb portion 22.

The structure which is shown in FIG. 2 is adapted to be situated in the interior of the limb 14, and this structure is fragmentarily illustrated within the limb 14 in FIG. 3 where the limb 14 also is fragmentarily illustrated. This structure of FIG. 2 includes an upper elongated substantially rigid insert 26 and a lower elongated substantially rigid insert 28. The upper insert 26 has, at its upper end, an eye 30 whose central opening is adapted to be aligned with the central opening 32 (FIG. l) of the upper end portion 12 of the limb 10. The inserts 26 and 28 may be made, for example, of die cast zinc parts.

As is apparent from FIG. 3, the upper insert 26 ex- -tends along the hollow interior lof the upper limb portion 22 while the lower insert 28 extends along the hollow interior of the lower limb portion 24. These inserts respectively have ends 34 and 36 situated adjacent each other at the region of the intermediate joint-simulating portion 20 of the limb 14.

A connecting means 38 interconnects the ends 34 and 36 of the inserts for pivotal movement while limiting the turning of the inserts, one with respect to the other, only to movement which is capable of simulating natural movement of the limb. Thus, the connecting means 38 includes a rivet 40 which extends through aligned openings of the overlapping ends 34 and 36 and which has opposed enlarged head ends retaining the piov-t pin 40 connected with the inserts 26 and 28. This connecting means also includes substantially rectangular overlapping end portions 34 and 36 which abut one against the other when the inserts have the ex-tended condition shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, so as to prevent the upper insert from turning forwardly with respect to the lower insert beyond the position shown in FIG. 2 and so as also to prevent the lower insert from turning forwardly -with respect to the upper insert beyond the position shown in FIG. 2. However, either one of these inserts is free to turn rearwardly with respect to the other insert. In this way the connecting means 38 inhibits unnatural positions for 4the jointed limb 10. Of course, when the inserts are in the limb 14, the limb portions 22 and 24 will necessarily be constrained to move with the inserts 26 and 28, respectively.

The structure of the invention also includes an elongated, substantially non-elastic deformable means 42 which in the example of FIGS. 2 and 3 is in the form of an elongated wire 44 which in the illustrated example has but a single strand. The wire 44 may be made, for example, of soft iron or copper so that it can be bent back and forth a large number of times. The wire 44 engages the inserts 26 and 28 `at the portions 46 and 48, thereof, respectively, and except for its engagement with these portions of the inserts the deformable means 42 has no positive connection with the inserts. Thus, the wire 44 extends freely along the inserts, and has a free, floating relationship with respect to the connecting means 38.

The portion 48 of the insert 28 is formed with an opening 50 (FIG. 3) through which the wire 44 passes, and after passing through this opening the wire 44 extends away from the insert 26. At the portion 46 of the insert 26, a guide means 52 is provided to guide the wire 44 for free sliding movement relative to the insert 26. This guide means 52, which is carried by the insert 26 is in the form of a pair of pins S4 fixed to and projecting from the opposed faces of the insert 26. The wire 44 passes freely through the pair of pins on one side of the insert 26, as is apparent from FIGS. 2 and 3.

The inserts 26 and 28 of FIGS. 4 and 5 are identical with those of FIGS. 2 and 3, and an identical connecting means 38 provides the pivotal interconnection between the inserts 26 and 28 of FIGS. 4 and 5. However, in this embodiment the elongated deformable means 56 is in the form of an elongated wire 58 which may be made of the same material as the wire 44 but which includes a plurality of strands which are twisted together. Furthermore, it will be noted that the guide means 52 carried by the insert 26 of FIG. 4 is identical with that of FIG. 2. However, in this case the wire 58, after passing through the opening 50 (FIG. 5) passes upwardly along the opposite side of the inserts and between the pair of pins 54 at the Iopposite side of the insert 26.

It is to be understood that the wire 44 could be made of a plurality of twisted strands and that the wire 58 could be made of a single strand, if desired.

The inserts 26 and 28 together with the deformable means, whether the deformable means 42 or the deformable means 56, are situated in the hollow interior of the l limb 14 with a fairly snug fit. Thus, as is apparent from FIGS. 3 and 5, the inner surface of the hollow member 14 presses resiliently against the inserts and the deformable means, and in this way when the inserts are turned one with respect to the other the wire will bend in the general region of the connecting means 38 inasmuch as the limb 14 itself will bend at its joint portion 20 which engages the deformable means to retain the latter in the general region of the inserts and conforming generally to the configuration into which the limb is displaced by the operator. As a result of this feature there will be no localized sharp bending of the deformable means, so that repeated bending there-of at one precise location is avoided and the life of the deformable means is greatly prolonged in this way.

The limb 14, due to its resilient nature, will have a tendency to return to the solid line position of FIG. 1 irrespective of the position into which it is displaced by the operator. However, the deformable means 42 or 56, while having no particular resiliency, nevertheless provides a resistance to bending which is great enough to prevent -return of the limb to its initial condition as a result of its own resiliency, and in this way the limb will remain in whatever condition it is displaced to by the operator. In the case of FIG. 4, the substantially U- 4 shaped deformable means will bend at both of its legs, while in the case of FIG. 2 the single leg of the deformable means will bend in the region of the connecting means 38.

The limb 14 is rotationally molded in any suitable mold in a manner well known in the art so as to have the hollow interior shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. In accordance with one of the methods of the invention, after the limb is molded the inserts, which have previously been assembled by the connecting means 38 and to which the deformable means 42 or 56 has already been connected, are inserted into the hollow interior of the limb through the open top end thereof. Although the parts have a snug fit in the interior of the limb, they nevertheless can be readily pushed in, and the inner surface of the limb will have intimate contact with the inserts and deformable means. Because of this frictional engagement between the inner surface of the limb and the inserts and deformable means, the latter parts will be reliably retained in the interior of the limb without requiring any additional fastening structure.

It is also a feature of the invention to manufacture the structure according to a method which includes placing the assembled inserts and deformable means in the interior of the mold before the plastic is rotationally molded. According to this latter method the plastic which forms the limb 14 is molded directly about and encloses the inserts and the deformable means, so that with this method when the limb is molded it will be finished with the structure of FIGS. 2 and 4 already situated in the interior of the limb engaged by the inner surface thereof.

The inner soft surface of the plastic limb enables it to conform readily to the configuration of the inserts and deformable means.

Thus, with the structure of the invention the plastic limb itself will retain the wire in its proper position in close relationship to the hinged inserts. This construction is incapable of providing any unnatural bending which could result from the use of a simple wire without any additional structure in the interior of the limb. With a construction of this latter type it would be possible to give the limb odd, unnatural, disjointed twisting and bending. Such unnatural manipulations are prevented with the structure of the invention.

Of course, while the invention has been disclosed as applied to a leg-simulating limb, it could equally well be applied to an arm-simulating limb, in which case the intermediate portion 20 would be the elbow of the limb.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a gure which simulates a living being, a jointed limb comprising an elongated, hollow, bendable, limb-simulating member having an intermediate joint-simulating portion and a pair of limb portions respectively extending in opposite directions away from said intermediate portion, a pair of elongated substantially rigid inserts situated within and extending along said limb portions, respectively, said inserts respectively having ends adjacent to each other and situated in the region of said intermediate portion of said member, connecting means situated in said member at said intermediate portion thereof and connecting said ends of said inserts to each other for pivotal movement of said -inserts one with respect to the other, so that said limb portions of said member will bend one with respect to the other at said intermediate joint-simulating portion of said member, said connecting means limiting turning of said inserts one with respect to the other and thus of said limb portions, one with respect tothe other, exclusively to natural movement of said limb portions relative to each other, and elongated, deformable, substantially non-elastic means situated in and extending along the interior of said elongated hollow member and engaging said inserts at portions thereof spaced substantially from said ends thereof, said deformable means, except for said engagement with said portions of said inserts, extending freely along said inserts without having any positive connection thereo, said elongated hollow member when bent at said intermediate joint portion thereof turning at least one of said inserts with respect to the other and deforming said elongated deformable means to a configuration determined by the extent of bending of said hollow member, and said deformable means retaining said inserts and said limb portions at any angular relationship with respect to each other into which they are displaced.

2. A jointed limb as recited in claim 1 and wherein said elongated hollow member is made of a non-metallic material.

3. A jointed limb as recited in claim 2 and wherein said elongated hollow member is made of an elastic plastic, and said deformable means having a Aresistance to bending which is sutlicient to retain said member -in its bent condition in opposition to the inherent resiliency thereof.

4. A jointed limb as recited in claim 1 and wherein said elongated deformable means is in the form of a wire.

5. A jointed limb as recited in claim 4 and wherein said wire has a single strand.

6. A jointed limb as recited in claim 4 and wherein said wire is made up of a plurality of strands which are twisted together.

7. A jointed limb as recited in claim 1 and wherein one of said inserts is formed at its portion engaged by said deformable means with an opening through which said deformable means extends and the other of said inserts carries at its portion engaged by said deformable means a guide means guiding said deformable means for longitudinal shifting movement along said other insert.

8. A jointed limb as recited in claim 7 and wherein said guide means includes a pair of pins xed to and projecting from said other insert and between which Said elongated deformable means freely extends.

9. A jointed limb as recited in claim 8 and wherein said elongated deformable means after passing through said opening of said one insert extends away from said other insert.

10. A jointed limb as recited in claim 8 and wherein said pins extend through and beyond said other insert to project from opposed faces thereof and said elongated deformable means extending through said opening and along opposed faces of both inserts and through the pairs of pins at the opposed faces of said other insert.

11. A jointed limb as recited in claim 1 and wherein said elongated hollow member is made of an elastic material substantially softer than said inserts and having an inner surface engaging said deformable means.

12. A jointed limb as recited in claim 1 and wherein said elongated hollow member simulates the appearance of a leg of a human being, and said intermediate jointsimulating portion simulating a knee -of the leg.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,761,244 9/1956 Weih 46-173 X 2,835,076 5/1958 Weih 46-173 X 3,277,601 10/1966 Ryan 46-163 X 3,350,812 11/1967 Lindsay et al 46-163 X LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR USE IN A FIGURE WHICH SIMULATES A LIVING BEING, A JOINTED LIMB COMPRISING AN ELONGATED, HOLLOW, BENDABLE, LIMB-SIMULATING MEMBER HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE JOINT-SIMULATING PORTION AND A PAIR OF LIMB PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY EXTENDING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AWAY FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, A PAIR OF ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID INSERTS SITUATED WITHIN AND EXTENDING ALONG SAID LIMB PORTIONS, RESPECTIVELY, SAID INSERTS RESPECTIVELY HAVING ENDS ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER AND SITUATED IN THE REGION OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID MEMBER, CONNECTING MEANS SITUATED IN SAID MEMBER AT SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF AND CONNECTING SAID ENDS OF SAID INSERTS TO EACH OTHER FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID INSERTS ONE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER, SO THAT SAID LIMB PORTIONS OF SAID MEMBER WILL BEND ONE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER AT SAID INTERMEDIATE JOINT-SIMULATING PORTION OF SAID MEMBER, SAID CONNECTING MEANS LIMITING TURNING OF SAID INSERTS ONE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER AND THUS OF SAID LIMB PORTIONS, ONE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER, EXCLUSIVELY TO NATURAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LIMB PORTIONS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, AND ELONGATED, DEFORMABLE, SUBSTANTIALLY NON-ELASTIC MEANS SITUATED IN AND EXTENDING ALONG THE INTERIOR OF SAID ELONGATED HOLLOW MEMBER AND ENGAGING SAID INSERTS AT PORTIONS THEREOF SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY FROM SAID ENDS THEREOF, SAID DEFORMABLE MEANS, EXCEPT FOR SAID ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PORTIONS OF SAID INSERTS, EXTENDING FREELY ALONG SAID INSERTS WITHOUT HAVING ANY POSITIVE CONNECTION THERETO, SAID ELONGATED HOLLOW MEMBER WHEN BENT AT SAID INTERMEDIATE JOINT PORTION THEREOF TURNING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INSERTS WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER AND DEFORMING SAID ELONGATED DEFORMABLE MEANS TO A CONFIGURATION DETERMINED BY THE EXTENT OF BENDING OF SAID HOLLOW MEMBER, AND SAID DEFORMABLE MEANS RETAINING SAID INSERTS AND SAID LIMB PORTIONS AT ANY ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER INTO WHICH THEY ARE DISPLACED. 